Hail to the King
by dashinginconverse
Summary: "It's simple, really. We kill the king." And those words were all it took to plunge a kingdom into madness. Various pairings and characters involved, Game of Thrones AU.
1. AJ

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything. _

_**Summary: "It's simple, really. We kill the king." And those words were all it took to plunge a kingdom into madness. Various pairings and characters involved, Game of Thrones AU. **_

_Okay, overly long author's note here. Ringing in the new year with a new chapter fic! I honestly have no idea how I'm going to tackle this. It just popped into my head and I couldn't help it. Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire have just taken over my brain and then wrestling just decided to be like, "Hey! Combine us!" And so I did. And so this chaotic mess was born. Prepare for lots of characters, probably a lot of confusion (which I will clear up if anyone gets confused), lots of pairings, and lots of death - this is Westeros, after all. Or, well, my approximation of Westeros. Which means Crapsteros. Because I am clearly not George R. R. Martin. Clearly. _

_I've toyed with this first chapter for longer than I care to admit, and I just finally said, "Screw it" and posted the thing. It's gone through edits and whatnot and I just hope that it's somewhat easy to follow. You don't need to have read the books to understand this story. Some similarities to certain characters will be apparent, if you have read the books or seen the show, but others I'm coming up with off the top of my head. _

_...enjoy? (Please.)_

* * *

**Hail to the King**  
**Chapter One**

* * *

**\- AJ -**

There was a certain chill in the air around Lannisport that caused her very bones to feel as if they were filled with ice. Winter was not as kind to her as it was to her siblings. Living in such warm climates her entire life was something she had taken for granted. The sunny days seemed endless. She could remember playing with her mother on those good, hot days, the days that seemed to drag on forever and the nights that passed in the blink of an eye. The days that she played with her mother and father in the garden, plucking flowers from the trees and fashioning them into makeshift crowns. She'd pretend to be queen, and her mother would smile that crooked smile of hers and pat her dark head of hair. "Some day," she had said. "Some day, my sweetling."

But this cold was where no flower could thrive, not even the strongest of roses could combat the bitter, frigid weather. She thought herself mad for even considering going down to the harbor during a day so cold, but she hadn't been outside in what seemed like ages and she missed the fresh air. She shivered in her boots and wrapped her small arms around her small frame. She had always been teased when she was little - and that carried on to now, when she was a woman grown. Tiny little AJ Lannister, evil little AJ Lannister.

Just thinking about their taunts made her wrinkle her nose.

"Little sister," a familiar voice called, breaking her out of her trance.

AJ immediately perked up, her eyes shining with a brightness she actually felt - so unlike those fake, pretty smiles put on for the public. "Smile sweetly, or the people will have no love for you, my dear." Again, her mother. Again, the inadequacy. Again, the wrinkling of the nose.

Tall and flame-haired and beautiful, Lita Lannister wrapped her spindly arms around AJ's shoulders. Her smile was as bright as the sun she so missed, now hidden behind so many clouds it was hard to remember there was a sun at all.

"I didn't know you were returning so soon!" AJ exclaimed, smiling. "How was Sunspear?"

"Hot," she said. "It was amazingly hot compared to this place. Who would've known Casterly Rock could be so cold?"

AJ shrugged her shoulders. "Mother said it is because we've only known summer that we find this so cold."

"That's what they all say," Lita replied, running a hand through her hair. "Cold is cold. And _this _is cold."

The younger of the two smiled brightly. Before she could say anything, a voice broke the brief silence between the two of them.

"There you are, my lion."

AJ turned, coming face to face with Phil Martell, next in line to rule over Sunspear, and her sister's future husband. She had not been expecting him to return with Lita. At least, not so soon. His face was devilishly handsome, something that AJ noticed right away. When she had heard about Lita's betrothal, she had been so angry that her sister was going off to marry some foolish old man that she hadn't even thought he might be young - and so, so handsome. AJ felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks as he grinned at the two of them - green eyes sparking with wit as if he were privy to some joke of which she was unaware, tanned skin, strong arms. The things that caught her attention the most was the swirling patterns of ink etched onto his arms, and the ring of metal piercing his lower lip.

_Dangerous, _was the word that floated across her mind, unbidden.

"I was thinking you'd fled to tell your father the engagement was off," he joked, throwing an arm around her thin shoulders. His voice held that same sense of secret humor to it; AJ found it fascinating.

Lita smiled, all teeth, playful and adventurous, a familiar sight that made AJ smile with her. But there was something else about her, a crazed happiness that she had never seen in her sister.

Maybe their parents weren't completely mad when they matched the Martells and the Lannisters.

Her elder sister leaned down and pressed a kiss to AJ's forehead. "I am so glad to see you, sweet sister. I will be back to visit with you after we meet mother and father for supper to celebrate Phil's first venture to Casterly Rock."

AJ pursed her lips. For some reason, she was still treated like a child, even when she was a woman grown. It was probably her size, petite and unthreatening, with large eyes that gave her an innocence that most girls her age lacked. She didn't ponder that long, only nodded in acknowledgement before smiling brightly. "Of course!"

There was an unspoken question in AJ's eyes, which Lita answered with, "Your brother is waiting at the harbor for you." AJ found a bright grin overtaking her face. "He figured you would be there, or at least on your way there."

AJ spun on a heel and ran off before Lita could say another word.

Her mind was full of excited thoughts as she made her way down to the harbor, her hair floating behind her as she rushed. The harbor was one of her favorite places to venture to. She loved the smell of the sea, the sun on her skin, the crowing of the seagulls. It was one of the things she and her brother had in common. She hadn't seen him so long, not since he headed off to Sunspear with Lita to meet her betrothed, and she had longed for both their presences since then. Her heart thrummed eagerly in her chest.

Though the harbor looked different than when she had last seen her brother, with the winter dimming the sun's brightness, and the seagulls were nowhere to be seen, the sea still smelled the same, but of course that was to be expected.

Her boots thudded heavily on the docks once she reached them. AJ inhaled deeply, the cold air stinging her lungs, but she bared it anyway. She spread her arms out to her sides, fancying herself a seagull, and closed her eyes, waiting.

Not disappointing her, a hand enclosed around her bony shoulder. AJ spun around and smiled when she saw her brother. "Finn!" she greeted, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Finn Lannister, however, looked troubled. He gave her a charming grin anyway and then ruffled her hair. Somehow, he seemed to have aged so much since she last saw him, pulling away from the harbor with their sister and uncle in tow. "Nice to see you, too, dear."

"What's wrong?" AJ asked automatically. She knew the tone in her elder brother's voice all too well.

"Nothing," Finn said, flopping down on the dock and letting his feet dangle above the sloshing waters of the sea in front of them. "Sit, sweet sister. I feel as if I haven't seen you in ages."

AJ sat down, not responding to her brother's comment with one of her own. It was difficult to think of how to talk to him when his face was that tense, when his voice was so on edge it was almost like a knife to the throat.

"Family," she voiced softly. "Should be able to talk to one another."

Finn looked over at her, his eyes suddenly amused. He raked a hand through his already unruly hair. He looked absolutely exhausted, but said nothing.

"Phil Martell seems very..." AJ trailed off, wondering how to express her feelings toward the mysterious man from Sunspear.

A muscle in Finn's jaw twitched.

"Do you not like him, Finn?"

The twitch became more prominent.

"I should not speak ill of our sister's future husband," he said primly, but there was a roar on the edges of his whisper.

Finn continued anyway, saying the words that would puzzle AJ for days to come.

"There's something...wrong about him, AJ. Something suspicious. It sets off every alarm in my head and I cannot for the life of me figure out why."

Without thinking, AJ reached over and placed her hand over her brother's, squeezing tightly.

"We're Lannisters," she said, a determination of unknown origin swelling within her. "We're lions. No beast can fell a lion."

At her words, Finn smiled - this time, a genuine one, without the world-weary look to his eyes that he had greeted her with. However, his words were ominous. "The unseen enemy, the one who presents himself as a friend... Those are the most dangerous. Those are the ones who can best even a lion, sweet sister."

A sense of dread gripped AJ's heart. It must have shown on her face, for Finn now gripped her fingers in a brotherly gesture. "Let's not talk of such dark things, AJ," he said, smiling the smile that had won him many a woman's heart. "What's happened while I was away? Tell me everything. Letters can only say so much."

And so AJ Lannister told him everything, for a moment forgetting her brother's concerns, but that night in the privacy of her bedchamber, dark dreams haunted her - ones of snakes and lions and games no one could win.

* * *

_**End Chapter One. **_


	2. Seth

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own anything._

_Thanks so much for the reviews for the first chapter! I really am grateful for them, considering I really hadn't thought I'd get any for a project so freaking ambitious and vague and complicated. That first chapter introduced the Lannisters - AJ and Lita and Finn. This chapter focuses on the Starks (and one particular Greyjoy), who have a very different way about them than AJ and her family. I really hope that everyone likes this chapter. I would love to hear that y'all think! _

* * *

**Hail to the King**  
**Chapter Two**

* * *

\- **Seth** -

Another winter in Winterfell. Or, at least, that was the common saying throughout the castle's stone walls as of late. Seth Greyjoy hadn't experienced a winter in his short life, and that means that this constant onslaught of snow is just the beginning. A long summer means a long winter, and so on and so forth, of course, of course.

He ran a hand along his hair, brushing out the fallen flakes of snow as he did so. His eyes raked along the expanse of the field and suddenly he found it - a flash of gold waves, a complete

Seth stalked forward, his feet crunching lightly in the snow, as he approached the thin slip of a girl he has just spotted, a smirk crossing his face as he reached down and picked up a handful of snow, slowly patting it into a ball before -

_Splat!_

Seth let loose a rather undignified yelp as the cold snow came into contact with the back of his head, sliding down the back of the woolen coat he wore, causing a shudder to ripple down his spine. He spun around, eyes dangerous, and spotted just who had attacked him so.

Dean Snow, grinning and with that ever-present twinkle in his eye, stared back.

Seth's lip curled. "Bastard."

"Bastard by birth, yes," Dean spouted. "But not bastard by character."

Seth found himself smirking despite himself. Although his true home was not in Winterfell - _Pyke_, he thought fondly of the rock and the harbor and the smell of the ocean in his nostrils, where all the Greyjoys called home - he had taken a liking to this place, filled with snow and cold winds and pine trees. He had also taken a liking to the people he had been fostered with.

House Stark held Winterfell, as they had for ages. Adam and Beth Stark had three natural children, one of which Seth had been trying to tease at the moment of Dean's interruption, and one bastard - the aforementioned man himself. Dean had, supposedly, been a product of a dalliance between Adam and an unnamed woman. Seth had been curious about it, but every time the subject was broached, hard looks were sent his way, and no one talked further of it.

And, of course, then there was Seth himself.

Seth didn't belong anywhere near Winterfell. He knew that, the Starks knew that, his own father knew that, but here he stayed. And here he would remain, a ward at Winterfell, all because of his father's rash actions against the kingdom.

The young man shook his head, unable to think on that subject any further without a strange tugging developing in his chest. His sharp brown eyes spotted that Dean was about to launch another snowball in his direction, and he dodged it accordingly, but it was no use, for another snowball smacked him directly in the back of his head.

Summer Stark showed herself, that blonde hair of hers looking like a sort of outlandish sunlight, from behind a near pine tree, her eyes glittering with mischief.

"Good job!" Dean shouted to her. She grinned toothily back at him, looking oddly like the wolf on their House's sigil.

Seth wrinkled his nose just slightly, irritated at being bested by the silly blonde girl and the bastard, but he bent over and started preparing another snowball nonetheless. "I'll show you a good job..."

Just as the snowball left his fingers, a voice shouted, "We are wanted inside, you three."

Dolph Stark stood, looking as regal as any king, in front of them.

"C'mon," Dean said, tilting his head and smiling, an odd sort of madness overtaking them. "What is it now?"

Dolph shrugged his large shoulders, his wavy blonde hair moving across his shoulders as he did so. "Father needs to have a word with everyone."

_Father, _Seth thought, almost sadly, but nonetheless, he followed.

They walked through the wide doors that led into the great hall of Winterfell's castle, brushing the snow from their boots and coats as they did so. Seth had to vigorously shake both his coat and his hair to rid himself from the snowy devil that Dean had sprung on him.

Adam Stark sat at the head of the table, looking rather disturbed, his fingers steepled in front of his face. Beth Stark stood at his side, looking the picture of Northern sternness, her face rigid, her light colored eyes like two specks of ice in her face.

As they came upon the site, the last of the Stark children, Renee Stark, sat next to her mother, fiddling with some embroidery that she so loved. Seth looked from Renee to Summer, trying to hide his smile. It was odd how the two of them looked so alike - with their golden hair and blue eyes - and yet were so different in terms of personality.

As Seth walked closer, he saw Summer sway to one side, having been pushed playfully by Dean himself. She wrinkled her nose at him and shoved him back, saying, "I'll get you once we're outside again."

To which he responded, "I'd like to see that."

To which Adam interrupted, "That's enough, you two."

"What's going on?" Dean asked, without guile.

Beth sent him a look that could curdle milk; Adam just sent a sad smile his way. "Many things. Too many, if I am to be honest with my family."

Renee looked up at her father, the picture of innocence. Seth wasn't sure if he found that charming or annoying. "What do you mean, Father?"

That same smile continued to haunt his face, making Adam look as if he were years older than he should be. "We're to be host to the king for a few weeks."

"The king?" Renee gasped. Summer looked equally as slack-jawed.

"Well, shit," Dean murmured barely. Dolph punched his brother's shoulder good-naturedly.

Seth, however, only looked at Adam and asked him the question no one seemed to be asking, "Why?"

Adam shrugged his thin, wiry shoulders. "The letter said nothing, that he would tell me when he arrived."

"Well, that's odd," Summer snorted.

"Summer!" Renee shouted, slapping her sister on the shoulder.

"Well, if I know His Grace, then it's supposed to be a riddle. We're supposed to be left guessing."

Seth _hated _riddles.

"I suppose," Adam continued. "The point in this meeting was to tell everyone ahead of time. The staff is to get the castle ready. My family - including you, Seth - is to be on their best behavior. We are to show that the Starks of Winterfell are not a bunch of wild, uncontrollable things."

As he said the words _wild, uncontrollable things_, Dean and Summer promptly stopped their rough-housing and stood at attention.

However, Seth couldn't get Adam's words out of his head.

_"My family - including you, Seth - "_

He clenched his fists tightly around the necklace that hung, secretly, beneath his clothes, the necklace that no one could see, the necklace that displayed his own House's sigil - the mighty kraken.

He remembered his own father's words, the night he was taken as a ward by the Starks, the night the Greyjoys were defeated by the very man sitting in front of him now, defeated with sword and shield and bow, _"The Starks are not our friends, son," _he had whispered. _"We will take what is ours, and you will help, in the most pivotal of ways."_

The sharp edges of the kraken's tentacles dug into Seth's fingers, drawing blood.

_"They will capture you. They will take you in as a ward of their House. They will feed and clothe you. Mayhaps they will treat you as familiy. But you will not be one of them. Ever, son, do you hear me?"_

Seth remembered the heaviness of his head as he had nodded like it was yesterday.

_"They have defeated us today, but no more. We will take what is ours. We will have Winterfell, and you will help us."_

Inhaling shakily, Seth focused his gaze on the stern yet friendly face of Adam Stark, the man who had taken him in and treated him with the utmost courtesy, the man who had - indeed - clothed and fed and considered him family.

Seth Greyjoy looked at Adam Stark and - for what seemed like the thousandth time since he had been captured - regretted agreeing to his father's plan to destroy the North.

* * *

_**End Chapter Two.**_


End file.
